What's New

Liza Minnelli - that's Liza with a Z to you - who showed off a Smurf-y blue hair streak at the Oscars, is 68 today.

New novel coming from former Gourmet editor

For years, fans have been telling Ruth Reichl they love her novels. Problem was, she hadn't written any.

Reichl, author of best-selling memoirs and the former editor-in-chief of the now shuttered Gourmet magazine, finally won't have to correct her readers in May, when her first novel, "Delicious!" is published.

"I always said, if I didn't have a day job, I would write a novel, and then suddenly, I didn't have a day job," she said.

That abrupt switch came in 2009, when Conde Nast closed the nearly 70-year-old Gourmet, blaming the weak economy.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the novel's plot also features the end of a venerable food magazine, but it is not autobiographical.

Instead, it follows a protagonist Reichl calls "the anti-Ruth," a young woman named Billie hired at the magazine just before it closes.

She stumbles upon a collection of mysterious letters hidden in its library written by a plucky 12-year-old named Lulu to legendary chef James Beard during World War II.

"I just had this sudden inspiration of what if I had opened this [door] and it had been this fabulous, magical library, and what if I had found these letters?" Reichl said. "That's why it's set there, but it's really not about the magazine."

Associated Press

Try your sauce at State Fair's Triple Threat BBQ Festival

The Delaware State Fair's first-ever Triple Threat BBQ Festival is seeking applicants for the April 11-12 event.

The festival, which will be held at the fairgrounds in Harrington, also will feature live music, carnival rides, cornhole and, of course, beer, wine and barbecue. www.delawarestatefair.com.

Wilmington's Chocolate Festival is Friday

Talk about the perfect filling. You can see the newly renovated Wilmington Library Friday when you attend the annual Chocolate Festival there. The event, which got a snow delay, features a competition between professional and amateur bakers - and then is opened to the public for tastings.

Chocoholics are admitted at 11 a.m., with doors closing at 2 p.m., or when the chocolate runs out. Admission is $1, with taste tickets 25 cents each. Proceeds benefit the library.